Defying Disaster
by The Readers Muse
Summary: "It had been a long time since she'd seen Nikola like this… Vulnerable. Perhaps even a bit lost. - In fact the last time she could rightly remember such a time was when the last of the source blood had been injected into his veins."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sanctuary or any of its characters. Wishful thinking aside.

**Authors Note #1:** *****Rated for: adult language, adult situations, sexual undertones, and cuddling. – Spoilers: Up to and including the infamous season two episode: "Sleepers". This is an idea I've had kicking around since I saw "Sleepers" for the first time. - So this fic basically details the aftermath of Telsa's 'devamping' and with some Helen/Telsa and some group interaction/reaction to boot.

**Authors Note #2:** Please read and review. I am excited to see what you all think. I am open to comments, advice, and constructive criticism. Especially since this is my first Sanctuary fiction to date.

**Defying Disaster**

She wasn't sure how long she'd watched him struggle. It had been some time after they'd returned home. After the Premier Cru and the metal platter in her study, her best attempt at trying to cheer up her despondent friend. And for a few long moments she felt she had almost succeeded. But the joy of his new found magnetic powers had quickly faded into the backdrop. Like the consolation prize for an Olympic hopeful that hadn't made it past primaries. Gently expelled with the knowledge that they were undeniably exceptional, gifted even, yet not _extraordinary_.

– And to settle for anything less then _that_ was simply _not_ Nikola Tesla.

She had tried to give him his head. Knowing him well enough by now to know that the last thing her friend needed was to be coddled. But as the hours and then inevitably _days _wore on her best intentions became all for not. - First through household gossip, and then through the security monitors. Keeping a live feed of the security camera's in his labs up on her screen as she worked her way through the usual veritable minefield for paperwork that made up her desk.

And from there on it had been like a game of dominoes. Because it wasn't long afterwards that she found herself leaning against the door jam. Hovering just inside the threshold of his bedroom door; watching him take on the world in his dreams. - His exhaustion complete.

Being human once again had certainly taken its toll. And in a strange, rather daft way, she realized he had probably forgotten how. Too used to being able to work on little or no sleep for days upon end, forgetting the need for rest as the single-minded nature of his task over whelmed him. – Forgetting that he was now _only_ human. And that the body needed such things in order to simply function, just a few of the more nonnegotiable aspects of humanity.

In fact he'd refused all her offers of rest, help, and even companionship. Locking himself in one of the lower labs and working for at least seventy two hours straight without rest. No doubt triple checking all her research regarding his changed state and testing out his own theories.

And while she had understood, and of course respected it, Nikola's need to try, she knew she wasn't the only one at least mildly concerned for his welfare. Indeed the house seemed strangely hushed, as if the man's depression was somehow spreading. Even Sally had been uncommonly restless, going so far as to splash Kate through the top entrance of her tank when she'd come for a lunch visit.

Though in truth she hadn't been overly surprised at that given how close the two of them were. Nikola had always made a point to visit her whenever he blew in. He had ever since Sally had first come to stay at the Sanctuary. The whole affair was utterly daft, but they'd hit it off right from the very beginning, taking a strange delight in baring their teeth at each other through the glass. Playfully hissing and squeaking in turn as they engaged one another in god only knows_ what_. A battle of wits? A game? A conversation? - She hadn't a clue. Still didn't actually.

But what she did know was that watching the two of them gave her flashbacks to the antics of Ashley and Henry in their youth, all rambunctious play, sharp witted competition, and a deep, undeniable fondness for one another. She saw it as clear as day in the times when Nikola would grow bored with whatever he was working on, haunting her habitat an in effort to ease his restlessness.

Bothering her into tolerating his company, and even going so far as to let his claws to tap against the sides of her tank the a way he_ knew_ she hated. Making her flip her fins in annoyance as her whirling cloud of tendril spotted hair shushed through the heavy sea water. Showing him the back of her tail whenever he let his talons grate across the curved glass. The sound echoing out like nails on a chalkboard as he chuckled. Head tilting in amusement as he took in her furious barrage of high pitched squeaking.

- It was utterly childish, but hilarious nonetheless to witness.

She had even caught James staring open mouthed at the both of them on more then one occasion. Most memorably on the day that Sally had indulged Nikola's foolishness and engaged him in a game of sport. Something that appeared remarkably reminiscent of a bastardized version of cat and mouse. – Him balancing on the edge of her tank, dipping his toes into the water teasingly as if daring her to try and catch him. His claws and fangs distended in clear challenge as she tried to snag him down into the water. Stalking him just underneath the surface, mere inches away and poised to strike only to have him flit away at the last possible moment.

- A deep growling chuckle rolled up his throat the longer the game went on, successfully evading her until she'd finally gotten the better of him. Splashing the surface of the water with her main fin and soaking him completely. Resplendent three piece suit and all. Leaving him spluttering and indignant, hair plastered to his scalp. – Growling at her as she blew air bubbles at him teasingly. Flicking water at him with her webbed hands until he'd hissed in response. Back arching like a disgruntled feline before he'd called her bluff and dive bombed her tank.

The resulting scuffle had caused such a ruckus that her shrieks of glee had disrupted the Angelous-Xempous's hibernation cycle close to three levels up. – James had laughed so hard he'd needed _oxygen_.

Throughout the years they had spent endless hours pressed up against the glass in silent communication. Catching up, sharing ideas, memories. She had never thought it proper to ask. But she knew Sally adored him. And so did Nikola, in his own way. -Referring to her more then once as his "cheeky salt water mistress." Never failing to throw her a smirk and sultry wink whenever he passed, lips curling upwards when ever that unique, happy sounding chitter would echo from her tank response.

– The both of them were entirely incorrigible when they were together. Just the way she liked them.

Henry was trying to help in his own way. Monitoring the man's power usage and diverting more power for his experiments without having to be asked. Or more likely, _yelled_ at. - Looking so incredibly earnest about the whole thing that she couldn't find it in herself to chastise him, already cringing at the thought of the months electrical bill.

She'd even caught Will watching the man work through the cameras on more then one occasion. Brow scrunched up with something akin to worry as the hours and days slid by and Nikola showed no signs of stopping. She could almost _see _the cogs and wheels turning in the man's brain. No doubt considering and abandoning a dozen or so psychological theories and treatments the longer the servers refused him access to the man's file. – Obviously knowing better then to ask for it, despite their past agreement on secrets and promises.

…Her loyalty to The Five went beyond that. Deeper then ties of family and friendship… Meaning intrinsically more to her then she could ever rightly explain…..

Though even _she_ had to admit she'd been surprised when Biggie had taken a special interest in him, taking to bringing him meals when it became clear that the man had completely forgotten to eat. Growling and hovering pointedly until the man ate at least a few bites before returning to his slides and samples. The two of them had never gotten on in the past, but with the loss of Nikola's vampirism, her butler seemed to have developed something of a soft spot for him.

So perhaps that was why she didn't say a word about it when she'd seen him brewing a pot of his infamous herbal tea near the end of the third day. Watching through the monitors as he'd puttering around in the background of the lab under the guise of tidying up, watching closely as the unsuspecting man had downed at least a two full cups of the potent brew. - Too distracted by the condition of the cells and platelets on the computer read out to really notice that the tea wasn't his preferred China Black.

She considered it a small mercy that Nikola obviously had no idea what hit him when the tea took effect. Eyes blinking owlishly in tired confusion as his frenetic movements had slowly eased. Looking strangely cowed as he'd slowly slumped into a lab chair, running a sluggish hand through his hair as a near violent yawn had wracked his lean form.

If it had been any other situation she might have smiled at the way he'd tried to push on. As suddenly clumsy fingers fumbled with the edges of a fresh slide as his body leaned further and further into the edge of the counter. Shaking his head and adjusting the scope on one of the microscopes even as he'd slowly listed to port. - His newly restored humanity surrendering to the power of the tea with barely a ripple of resistance. A testament to just how exhausted the man really was.

And like some strange, far removed father figure, Biggie had been at his side before he'd fully succumbed; gently swooping in to catch Nikola before he'd slipped clear off the lab chair. - Already soundly in the arms of Morpheus as her dear friend had collected the man in his arms. Long awkward limbs and all and headed off towards his rooms. A ritual he had not been able to indulge in since Ashley and Henry had been small.

And as strange as it was to say, it was an adage that struck her as all too right as well. – Because despite being just as old as she, Nikola had always been the youngest of them in spirit. Young in a way she just couldn't compare to, especially these days. He was like a curious child, a rambunctious teenager, and a grown man all wrapped up into one quite formidable package.

– He'd viewed mortality as permission to _never _quite grow up. Too stay young in both mind and spirit as the decades had passed them by. Staying forever young while she had gradually become jaded and perhaps even a bit bitter as the weight of those years began to take more then they gave. – She had envied Nikola for that mindset, had leeched from it even. And now she feared that with the loss of his gifts he might have lost it completely.

It had been a long time since she'd seen Nikola like this… _Venerable_. Perhaps even a bit lost. - In fact the last time she could rightly remember such a time was when the last of the source blood had been injected into his veins. The thick needle piercing gently through the flesh of his forearm as the plunger arced downwards. - The action quick, but undeniably efficient under Nigel's capable hands.

As despite taking the injection last, everything about Nikola's turn had been different. In fact unlike the rest of them, for a long moment nothing had happened. Not a sudden hitching gasp or even a half muffled exclamation against the unexpected burn, the same reaction they'd all had as liquid fire had coursed through their veins. But not with Nikola. For him it hadn't been that simple.

For a long moment he'd simply blinked up at them. Disappointment slowly flooding across his face as the seconds ticked by without note; face mirroring the same frustration they were all experiencing in kind. With their own turns haven't yet progressed past that initial stinging burn.

But when it had happened for Nikola the moment had been undeniable. They had seen in it his face. In the way his breath had suddenly started coming out in a series of worrisomely throaty pants. - Eyes going wide and unfocused, as if his gaze had somehow turned inward. Deaf to their growingly concerned questions and insistent pleads.

– None of them even so much as noticing how the dull echo of the empty syringe had sounded strangely heavy as it had fallen to the ground, slipping from Nigel's shocked fingers. His grip going lax and panicked as James' voice had risen above the fray, yelling something about his surgeon's kit as Nikola's lashes fluttered alarmingly…

She remembered how she'd leaned forward, hand outstretched to touch his face. Desperate to garner some sort of response as Nikola had simply quivered in place. Gasping for air as his fingers dug into the hardwood with impossible force. Not even seeming to notice that Nigel was struggling to untie his cravat, loosening his shirt collar and buttons in an effort to ease the rapid pace of his increasingly labored breathing. The cadence turning pain hitched and close as James counted out the man's pulse, large palm all but dwarfing the delicate taper of Nikola's wrist as the man's spine went rigid.

And it was then, with her hand only inches from the man's cheek that it had happened; the change. They couldn't have even _begun_ to imagine it at the time. - The power of it..the sheer severity. Indeed for a long moment it had seemed as though he was dying, having heart failure or possibly even a stroke right here on her parlor floor.

The lot of them had been forced to simply _watch_ as the cords of his neck had suddenly strained, flesh rippling outwards as Nikola had abruptly convulsed. Arms flailing backwards as James and Nigel had rushed to his side, supporting him through the worst of the episode as those long, colt-like limbs had seized. Lashing out blindly as a sudden, inhuman growl rattled up his throat. – Sending the lot of them scrambling as Nikola had fallen on to all fours, hunched up and threatening, snarling out his pain and confusion as the change coursed through him.

But it had been the look in his eyes that had really shown it. Before the bright, almost ethereal nature of his usual sharp blue had been overtaken by that of heady crimson and the deep scaling blackness of the darkest shadow. Before his features had suddenly shifted and his teeth sharpened, body changing on a cellular level as the nature of his gift had suddenly become clear.

Because there had been fear in those eyes, if only for a moment. A spit second in time where he'd caught her eye amidst the chaos. Eyes reflecting all the apprehension and vulnerability of a school boy just weaned off clutching at his mother's apron strings. - Showing her a part of himself that he likely hadn't counted on as his gaze seared through her. - Letting her in perhaps for the very first time, before they'd rolled back in his head, sending him reeling back into James and Nigel's hold with a bitten off cry.

He'd been wavering between consciousness and a dead faint for close to five minutes before she'd finally thrown caution to the wind. Ignoring the others warnings as she'd leaned in to take the man's pulse. Barely missing getting slashed by the man's talons for her trouble when he'd startled back to full consciousness a split second later, his face a nightmare of old and new features as he'd bared his teeth and hissed in warning.

- James and John had their pistols cocked and aimed before she'd even had a moment to protest. Holding them back just in time with a single piercing word. She didn't know exactly why, but even then, in spite of everything she knew they hadn't lost him. Because she had seen _him_, the man he _was_ and _had_ been only a moment before, clear as day underneath the demonic guise. _He was still himself._

And for his part Nikola had slowly righted himself. Rising up from his defensive crouch with a lithe sort of grace she had only even seen hints of before. Breathing hard and blinking with his new eyes. Scenting the air like a wild thing as they'd wisely retreated, giving him space to regain himself as the man tilted his head, eyes fastening on each of them in turn. Dark claws gleaming in the near light before he'd found it in himself to speak.

At first it didn't seem as though he could. Jaw working for a few heart stopping moments, as if trying to navigate his tongue around his newly sharpened teeth. The lean, arching curve of his features fluctuating between human and vampiric almost restlessly as he struggled. – Until his voice, now a deep, trembling bass had finally sounded out in the close space, waylaying the worst of their fears.

Her name had been the first to leave his lips, coming out rough edged and wondering. Lilting off in the end like a question as he'd raised his clawed hands towards the light, splaying them out in front of him. Rolling his neck strangely, as he smoothed the wrinkles out of his rumpled suit jacket, hunching his shoulders and shaking himself over, as if he'd never used the muscles before. Testing something within himself they could only guess at as he'd bared his teeth experimentally.

- She hadn't been able to take her eyes off him…

It wasn't until much later that she realized what that truly meant. What it meant to know that it had been _her_ name that had grounded him, pulling him back from the siren song of blood lust and instinct as he struggled to regain his humanity. - Tethering him to reality as he'd pulled himself away from the brink, fighting against a veritable flood of conflicting instincts as he'd wrestled for control.

And despite the intervening years, she still hadn't quite been able to dampen the aroused shiver that had flooded through her when that realization had hit. ..To know that the same liltingly foreign accent that had so subtly caressed the syllables of her given name had meant so much _more_. Even then….

It took a bit of trial, error, and near panicking by the others before that enigmatic shade of polar blue had eventually returned to the man's eyes. Melting back to normalcy as his fear and confusion had slowly turning into that of wonderment and purpose. All but bursting at the seams with that same bottomless scientific curiosity and manic energy they all knew and loved.

And while she had smiled at him in return, sharing in the thrill of discovery and the adrenaline spiked excitement that came as the nature of all their gifts slowly became apparent … She had never quite forgotten that look and the feelings that had come with it.

Because the truth was that throughout the intervening years, despite John, and the loss of far too many friends and lovers, Nikola Telsa had never strayed far from her thoughts…

**A/N:** Please let me know what you think. Reviews and constructive critiquing are love! – Let me know if you wish for this to continue, I am considering a second part to wrap it up if there is interest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sanctuary or any of its characters. Wishful thinking aside.

**Authors Note #1:** *****Rated for: adult language, adult situations, sexual undertones, and cuddling. – Spoilers: up to and including the infamous season two episode "Sleepers". - Meant to fit in soon after "Sleepers" but long before "Awakening."

**Authors Note #2:** Please read and review. I am excited to see what you all think. I am open to comments, advice, and constructive criticism.

**Defying Disaster**

_**Chapter 2**_

She knew she should probably leave. But she didn't. _She couldn't_. - Not tonight. Because for the first time in over a century, it appeared that Nikola Telsa might actually need_ her_. Not her charms, or her money, her influence or her mind. But _her_...

She suspected that even James wouldn't have been able to see this coming. …This perverse twist of fate. Nikola had always been one to defy the odds, regardless of the capacity.

She sighed quietly, watching the man fuss about in his sleep. He was laid out on top of the covers, still fully dressed and looking somehow unconscionably small. Dwarfed by the resplendent nature of the large, four poster bed. – Even she had to admit that he'd certainly looked better, now a hot mess of twitching limbs and rumpled clothing. Sporting a mismatched jumble of deep frowns and drawn lines as he murmured wordlessly, tossing in place as his agitation got the better of him.

He was all but drowning in it now. An explosive cocktail of tangled up emotions and half shot instincts that now existed only as phantoms. Mere ghosts of what they had been before. Confused and bereft as he sought to make sense of himself amidst the whirl gyre of emotion and doubt that made up his conscious mind. – A veritable overload of vulnerably, fear, uncertainty, and partially muted grief that had only now succumbed that of an exhausted sleep. And while that was certainly a small mercy in itself, she certainly didn't envy him the nature of his dreams. Not after everything that had happened.

"Oh Nikola.." She murmured softly, feeling somehow as though she was rediscovering heart break at the mere sight of him. – This wasn't what she'd wanted. Not by a long shot. No matter how irritating he was oft to be.

It was remarkably like observing an abruptly declawed feline trying to acclimate to the life of a house cat. - A feral jungle cat that had been unexpected collared and shipped off to live within the stifling confines of some far flung urbania. Expected to simply adjust and carry on after a lifetime of freedom and ferocity in the wilds.

_It just wasn't right._

In fact the inherent _wrongness _of it all had permeated the very air. Evident in even the smallest, most unconscious movements as Nikola slept on, apparently obvious to her intrusion as the minutes ticked by. – She felt remarkably helpless as she watched him sleep. Taking in the way the man's long fingers had begun kneading almost rhythmically into the linens. His lips twitching, as if flirting with the tail edges of a snarl the longer the action went unchecked, revealing only blunt human teeth and an unexpected shadow of vulnerability that was almost discomforting to take in. – As if even in the depths of REM sleep his body was still desperately trying to regain what it had lost.

And the truth was that metaphor burned her far more then she cared to admit. Because as much as it was probably for the best, this was simply _not _Nikola. Not _her _Nikola. And certainly not the _world's _Nikola either.

Because she'd lied to him the evening they'd returned home. The same night she'd dug out her last, long hidden bottle of Premier Cru to ease the nature of her ill, if not entirely unexpected news. – She'd lied in a misguided attempt to alleviate his depression. Hoping he'd respond better to her light teasing as she'd tried her best to steer him back towards his usual unflappable humor. She supposed no one could really blame her for trying. But the rot of it was that Nikola _wasn't _back to his old self.

His vampirism had been a part of him since birth. Latent or otherwise, it made very little difference. It made up the most basic part of him, right down to raw synapses and freshly formed cells, a pattern wound into his very DNA. - A throwback gift from some long distant vampiric ancestor. And now that had been stripped from him, leaving him bereft of a part of himself that the source blood had simply awakened, _not _created.

She couldn't imagine what that must be like. Essentially losing a part of yourself in such a way. - It was bloody well heart breaking.

As for all Nikola was an absolutely scoundrel, and as much as he tried to disabuse everyone of the notion, he'd _always_ had a good heart. Tarnished and perhaps slightly burnished, like that of long unpolished silver, but a heart none the less. - Something that _hadn't_ changed despite his baser nature, and told her more then enough about the measure of the man himself.

– Because despite largely bringing this on himself, Nikola really hadn't deserved this.

She'd once told Will that she rarely slept unless her patients did. And while she knew that this night that claim wasn't even_ close _to being true, she planned on breaking it regardless. Trusting the others to see to the necessary nightly affairs as she slipped off her heels and tip toed silently across the threshold. - Closing the door behind her with a soft, but undeniably firm click.

Because she'd been working in the labs when the truth of the matter had finally hit her, striking her down with all the couth of grenade to the face as she'd collapsed into the nearest chair. – Nikola was going to die. Not today, and certainly not tomorrow. But now, some day he would. Leaving her behind, _alone_, just like everyone else.

And she wasn't ashamed to say that it was something that would simply _not_ stand. She would find at way... And to hell with the consequences! - Because as strange a thought as it was to entertain, especially considering all he'd put her through in the past, somehow she'd always counted on Nikola living forever.

She closed her eyes for a long moment. Forcing herself to simply listen as the man breathed. Welcoming it in as his scent whirled and shifted in the recycled air. The room was thick with him. That rich, heady smell of expensive shoe leathers, singed wiring, and perfectly aged, fire warmed wine. A riotous, yet enticing brew that melded together with that of his favorite brand of Parisian cologne, a signature scent that he'd favored since the early thirties.

- Tickling her senses with that of fond memories and the sudden, aching desire to make brand new ones…

With the comfortable ease of long practice she set about untying his patented leather shoes. Wiggling his stocking clad feet free with an undeniably victorious air as Nikola snuffled through the whole endeavor. She tackled the man's stockings and trousers next, childishly holding her breath as she wormed expensive slacks down equally as enticing lean muscled hips.

She found herself nibbling on her lower lip as her eyes skirted across the span of his groin. Fingers trailing boldly down the length of his boxer briefs, reveling in the way the dusky, charcoal silk rippled under her hands. - Teasing along the base of him until he began stirring restlessly, body slowly responding to her attentions as time seemed to slow, trickling past like honey tracing the rim of it's jar.

But that wasn't why she was here. Not wholly at least… - Not _this _time.

She forced herself back to her task after a few more teasing brushes. Taking in the long, muscled length of his thighs before her hands moved upwards. Setting to work on ridding the man of his buttoned waist coat and tie, gingerly navigating the awkward splay of his elbows through the arm holes as the man shifted underneath her. Heading tossing to the side for a heart stopping moment as the shuttered fan of his long lashes fluttered with growing awareness. – Forcing her to go still lest she wake him.

She savored it for a long moment, seeing Nikola looking so…debauched, so open. Indeed she could only remember a handful of times she'd seen him this way, all but stripped of his usual layers and resplendent waist coats. Old fashioned to a fault in the way he still favored the layered fashions that made up the era of their births.

Nikola had always worn clothing like a shield, a form of armor that only he seemed to understand. It went beyond elegant tastes and a fond penchant for the era of yesteryear and more like a form of expression. – An extension of his person in way that her own antiquated tastes could hardly compare.

She had only just finished with the last button of his dress shirt, quickly shedding her dress jacket and slacks when Nikola stirred awake. Looking down at himself almost uncomprehendingly, looking unfathomably alluring, as rumpled as he was, stripped to his under things. Chest all but bared in the near light as the glossy fabric of his dress shirt pooled at his sides, revealing a fine trail of tawny brown hairs and a lithe, if not lightly defined torso.

"…Helen?" He murmured. Voice all sleep slurred and warm. Pliable and rich in a way only bone weary exhaustion and Nikola himself could rightly provide. – Blinking up at her, wide eyed and almost unseeing in the near light. One wide palmed, long fingered hand rubbing the sleep from his eyes as she shimmied out of her stockings and blouse without a single thought to the contrary.

.._Knowing full well that he was watching her.._

"Not a word Nikola." She warned, her tone gentle, but undeniably firm as she slipped under the covers after him. Trying and failing to repress a smile as she pulled the coverlet over the both of them, settling against the pillows with a tired sigh.

"_Mmm.._ Wouldn't dream of it my dear." He replied, stretching luxuriously under the thin covering of sheets, clearly not quite awake as he reeled her in. All deep, sleep muffled tones and overly familiar hands.

And she couldn't help but grin at that. Because even half asleep and soul worn Nikola was still Nikola. Just as irrepressible, impossible, and unpredictable as ever. – And it warmed her to know that he would be that way till the end. Regardless of when that day would come.

"Hush Nikola.." She breathed, a soft smile gracing the curve of her lips as he shifted closer, settling into her warmth with hardly a pause. Fitting into her like he'd been there all along, melting into the flare of her form like he'd been made opposite to her. - Apparently oblivious of the impossibly of it all when the arc of his hip slotted together with the curve of her own, awareness ringing across her consciousness with all the tact of _providence_.

So perhaps _that_ was why she let him tug her closer, pulling her into him with a deliciously contented sounded noise. Listening to the way his breaths gradually spiraled down into that of slow, sleepy purrs, hands trailing down to rest along the flare of her hip. The action innocent yet tantalizing all at the same time. - _Bold and sure._

And surprisingly, for once she was not long to follow. Drifting down into the same heady oblivion with the unfamiliar, but certainly not unwelcome feel of Nikola molded around her. The graceful length of his nose pressing into the curve of her neck as the scent of him rose around her. Gentle, passion heavy, yet still laced with the tangy salt tracks of loss and grief as sleep claimed her as well.

…They would figure this out. They always did. - They'd find a way. After all, the alternative would be too much for her bear..

**A/N:** – Thank you for all the support and feedback! This story is now complete. Please let me know what you think. Reviews and constructive critiquing are love!


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